The present invention relates to information communications within interactive multimedia systems and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for selecting a category of viewers in an interactive multimedia system that can be dedicated to interactive TV.
The exchanges of information according to an environment of interactive multimedia devices involve at least a broadcaster and a plurality of multimedia terminals linked to the broadcaster by a communication network.
A structure for exchanging audiovisual information and service information between a transmitter and an interactive multimedia terminal generally includes a direct path, via which the interactive audiovisual programs and services associated therewith are transmitted and a return path via which one or more terminals can communicate interactively with said transmitter. The direct path includes, in the case of an analog transmission, a modulator enabling information of the Teletext type for example to be inserted into the frame return lines (VBI: vertical blanking interval) of an analog video signal. In the case of a digital transmission, a data insertion unit allows the time-division multiplexing of packets of audio and video data, service data and private data for example according to the MPEG-2 standard.
Such environment is similar to FIG. 1. The interactive services are associated with broadcast audiovisual TV programs.
Basically, in the prior art, the environment of interactive multimedia devices is based on networks structure involving:
a broadcasting data path (120) also called xe2x80x9cbroadcasting networkxe2x80x9d which is multiplexed with the broadcast audiovisual signal; and
a return path (140) on a telephone line or a cable to offer interactivity to connected end-users. As is shown in this FIG. 1, the return path may be a telephone or a cable network.
The broadcasting data path (120) is simply connected to a data insertion unit (110) which receives A/V signals and interactive data on one side, and to an interactive terminal (160) on the other side. In the same way, the return path (140) is connected to a server (180) on one side and to the interactive terminal (160) on the other side.
Interactivity provided to all viewers can generate the following disagreements:
If the interactivity option is proposed and if it is very attractive for the targeted viewers, then overflow or jam of the return path can occur in the return path network such as telephone network, especially in prime time;
Conversely during a vote or a commercial, viewer having a wrong profile contribute to overflow the return path and block the viewers with the targeted profile to participate.
The efficiency and the quality of the interactive service may be jeopardized by a great number of viewers whose profiles do not fit with the desired objectives.
The data rate available to broadcast information multiplexed with audiovisual signals is limited to few thousands bits per second. Solutions consisting in selected terminals by their physical address generate a quantity of data that saturates the data bandwidth.
Furthermore, another constraint should be taken into account according to which providers have expressed their desire to focus a specific message to a specific population.
For example, an advertisement agency would like to design an interactive advertisement but would like to restrict the access to the interactivity option for a selected population. They want to restrict the interactivity to viewers having the sociological profile corresponding to people targeted by the message included in the advertisement or audiovisual program.
A pending European patent application numbered 97 403044.7 relating to xe2x80x9ca process for controlling the communication flow within an interactive networkxe2x80x9d owned by Thomson Multimedia, describes a process wherein during each interactive program, a group of data is sent to each terminal. The group of data is intended to set up a protocol for establishing interactive communications between a transmission station and the terminals. This process is implemented in the same environment as the one of the present invention.
A U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,279 discloses xe2x80x9ca method for providing targeted profile interactive CATV displaysxe2x80x9d to be used for an interactive communications system such as an interactive cable television system. This method aims to interactively create a selection profile for a subscriber and to interactively select in real time one of a plurality of messages based upon the selection profile whereby multiple users of a one-way television signals distribution network may obtain an individualized or tailored program information content for a television programming sequence. But according to this technique, no method is provided to implement it for the viewer""s selection on the terminal side, which is the main drawback. Besides, the requested data are not accurate and easily processed so as to update the data. There is no homogeneity of the installed base terminal, no quantification of the terminal having the targeted profile; and no method described for a multi-criteria selection. In addition, this technique is directed to the use of 4 channels broadcasting whereas the present invention can be implemented with a single channel broadcasting.
There is an additional problem which is the short time reaction in this interactive selection and response. Solutions exist in digital TV to address a particular subscriber. Each multimedia terminal or digital set-top-box (STB) is referenced by an address. Each time a message is sent through.-the satellite network to a restricted number of set-top-boxes, the broadcast message is concatenated with addresses of each STB concerned. For instance, a message addressed to 1 million subscribers is associated to 1 million addresses.
In this particular example, 1 million subscribers means that it requires to have an address of at least 20 bits. Therefore, we need 20 millions bits to broadcast which corresponds a file of 2,5 Mbytes. Considering a bandwidth of 9600 bit/s dedicated to interactive data, it will take 2083 seconds (or 35 minutes) to address each interactive terminal.
In the case of viewer""s profile given by the subscription form, it is quite easy to extract the correct STB""s addresses from the subscriber""s or viewer""s database and to broadcast them multiplexed with the audiovisual program.
However, targeted applications require a short time reaction from the viewer and the audiovisual program that is concerned (few seconds for a commercial), it hardly ever exceed a minute. Consequently, the 35 minutes required to address all interactive terminals is inapplicable.
It is an object of the present invention to homogenize the information provided by the viewers by requesting criteria information according to a standardized format to be stored in the terminals and in the service provider viewer database.
It is another object of the invention to process the criteria information so as to enable to classify the viewers in different categories and to target them more accurately and more efficiently.
It is thus another object of the invention to select a specific terminal or a category of viewers by using their profiles and not by using their physical addresses.
It is a further object of the invention to react in a very short time in an interactive application mainly for commercial purposes.
To have access to the interactive services, viewer has to register himself at the interactive service providers. At the registration phase, the viewer fills in a form giving some criteria corresponding to his profile such as his age, job, single, married, gender, number of children, age of children, etc.
The viewer""s registration can be done by the viewer:
either by filling an electronic form displayed on the terminal screen and when this registration is validated by the viewer, the information is transmitted via a network to the service provider viewers database;
either by filling a paper form. This paper form is sent by mail to the service provider who updates the service provider viewer database;
either by calling a telephone operator who directly fills the form according to the information given by the viewer and then sends the criteria information to the service provider viewer database.
The form and thus the types of criteria are the same for all viewers, which assures the homogeneity of the information stored in the terminals that constitutes the installed-terminal-basis. By filling the form, the viewer selected one of the possible values of each proposed criteria.
Further to the viewer""s terminal installation, the criteria are stored into the terminal permanent memory. This stored criteria can be updated each time new criteria information are provided by the registered viewer.
In order to address specific sociological profile, and to save bandwidth, a filter is attached to the digital data multiplexed with the audiovisual signal. The filter is a combination of a criteria set and a script. Then, each operational interactive terminal receives the digital data with a filter attached. Each interactive terminal demultiplexes digital information from the audiovisual signal using the existing techniques as for example EPG, Teletext and reads the filter attached to the digital data. The interactive terminal applies the script of the filter to the criteria included in the filter and to the criteria programmed during the installation phase. If the result of this operation is positive then the interactive terminal takes the decision to authorize the access to the digital data previously associated to the filter. Otherwise, the digital data are discarded.
In the service operation, the operator or his clients have the possibility to associate at least one filter by interactive application in order to target or address a predefined subgroup of registered viewers. A filter is composed of a set of values corresponding viewers criteria dictionary. The criteria dictionary is the list of predefined criteria which constitute the database.
When an application is broadcast with at least one associated filters, the terminal xe2x80x9ccomparexe2x80x9d the received filter(s) to the profile stored in the terminal permanent memory. This comparison consists in applying the script of the filter to the criteria included in the filter and to the criteria included in the stored profile If the comparison is positive then the application is executed by the terminal. Thus, the application is accessible only by the predefined subgroup. The other subgroups cannot have access to the application. This implementation concerns the case where a filter is associated with a single interactive application.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the method for selecting a category of viewers in an interactive multimedia system comprising a plurality of interactive terminals, each one containing a memory that stores a viewer""s profile, a broadcasting network and a return path network, the broadcasting network receiving Audio/Video data and interactive data, wherein the interactive data can be executed so as to return back a signal on the return path network; the method comprises the steps of:
receiving audio/video data multiplexed with a filter data corresponding to the selected category of viewers;
comparing the received filter data to the viewer""s profile stored in the interactive terminal memory; and
responsive to the comparison, executing the interactive data so as to allow an interactive connection or discarding the received filter data.
In another implementation, a plurality of filters, let""s say a number N, is associated with a single interactive application. In such case, the comparison continues until one of the N filters match the profile stored in the terminal permanent memory. If one of the filters matches the profile, the interactive application is executed else the application is ignored.
In another improvement, a plurality of filters is associated with an interactive application with different contents or whose content is variable. Each filter is attached to a content. One of the content is considered as a default content in case no filter matches the terminal profile. Each of the other contents has its own specific condition and it is displayed if the corresponding filter matches the profile stored in the terminal permanent memory.
According to the present invention, an apparatus for selecting viewer""s profile can be used in connection with the above mention method.
Furthermore, the solution brought by the present invention is independent from the type of network no matter a terrestrial, an analog or digital satellite, an analog or digital cable is used.